The present invention is concerned with improvements in portable and collapsible furniture of simple durable quality construction which may be collapsed to minimal size to satisfy the needs of the average user, including campers, picnickers, and the like. In particular, the present invention is directed to a portable and collapsible structure, convenient for use as a table, stand, or support frame, that can easily be set up for use and likewise collapsed to a compact bundle for storage and/or transport.
Common portable table designs include standard folding tables consisting of a tabletop fixed to folding legs mounted thereunder. To set up such a table, the legs are folded out, often one-by-one, and locked into a set-up condition. To collapse the table for storage, the legs are unlocked and folded within the footprint of the tabletop. Such folding tables are not desirable or convenient for transport because the folded footprint of the table is often identical to the set-up footprint of the table, and thus may not easily fit within the user's vehicle. Typically, a truck, van or large SUV is needed just to transport the table, and even then, the user must compromise other storage space or even seating space in the vehicle. In some alternative designs, the tabletop may be folded in half after the legs are collapsed, but such tables are still very heavy and bulky, and thus not easily transported. Additionally, traditional folding table designs take up a lot of storage space, for example in a closet or basement, even when folded up.
Some portable table designs can be collapsed or broken down into more compact sizes for transport and storage, such as co-pending patent application Ser. No. 13/343,355, entitled “Portable and Collapsible Table Structure,” which shares the same inventor as the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the tabletop, table support, and table legs can be broken down, folded up, and bundled together for easy transport. In some designs, for example, the tabletop is removed from a table frame and separately folded into a smaller condition. The table frame and legs are separately folded up and collapsed into a bundle. Such tables are especially useful for camping, picnics and travel, where standard tables, including traditional folding tables, are often too bulky and difficult to transport without taking up too much vehicle space.
Small tables and stands, such as TV trays, are available that can be collapsed into a flat storage condition where the tables legs are folded together into a common plane and the tabletop is folded down to a position generally parallel to the collapsed legs. In such designs, however, the table legs are often fixed in length, and as a result, project beyond the footprint of the tabletop, thereby affecting the size of the collapsed table. Where the legs may be reduced in size, the extent to which they can be shortened is typically restricted by existing structure of the table, such as a pivot pin connecting the legs together. In particular, in such prior art designs, no portion of a leg can be telescopically received within the leg past a centrally located pivot point. In this regard, existing collapsible table designs that permit the length of the table legs to be adjusted only allow for an adjustment on the order of a few inches, and such adjustment is merely intended to permit the user to change the table height. Accordingly, such adjustments have little impact on reducing the size of the collapsed table for transport and storage.
The usable size of prior art portable table designs is often limited based on how such tables may be broken down and bundled. For example, it is often the case that in order to decrease the size of the bundle of a collapsed table, the table structure, as set up, must itself be small. However, when the size of the table itself is decreased, the table is often too small for many desired uses. Alternatively, the height of the table is reduced so that the legs do not increase the size of the collapsed table. However, such shorter tables are not ideal for many uses for the table. Thus, while storage and transport space has been optimized in some regards, the utility of the table may be undesirable, and, for example, when a larger table surface is desired, one may need to use two or more small tables together, which ends up requiring more storage and transportation space than a single, larger table. Alternatively, where a larger table surface is desired using a single collapsible table, the size of the collapsed table with a larger tabletop and frame footprint may be too large, bulky and difficult to carry, even when collapsed and bundled. Thus, heretofore it has been difficult to have a portable table that will take up a minimal storage space when broken down without compromising the size or height of the set-up table.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a new and improved portable and collapsible table structure that overcomes the problems and drawbacks associated with prior art collapsible tables. Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a table structure designed to be collapsed into a minimally-sized bundle for convenient transport and storage, but which can also be easily set up for use without compromising the size of the usable table. Further, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a table structure that is easily collapsed to a minimally-sized bundle without requiring a complicated or cumbersome collapsing procedure.